Botsuraku
by Syynex
Summary: Left to die, he abandoned his humanity to become something much stronger, much...Darker.
1. Chapter 1

"Fall back!" His Sensei's shout caught the attention of the young shinobi, who turned to his superior.

"What?" he questioned. Why would they retreat? Surely it made more sense to continue fighting rather than to expose their backs.

Another loud roar sounded around him, sending shivers of terror down his spine. Who could have guessed that the dobe was hiding such a power? A power so great that his team's opponents had focused all their attention to the boy?

"While they're distracted, get to the ship, quickly!" His sensei yelled, urgency and a slight amount of trepidation in his tone.

Not about to question his orders a second time he ran back to the ship, grabbing an unconscious Sakura on his way and flinging her over his shoulder.

He reached the ship filled with the fearful people that made up the crew they were to escort and was surprised when his sensei appeared next to him moments later.

"Sensei?" he asked. Why were they all here? Why was his teammate fighting the other three enemies? No, wait, the pink one was down, that made two.

Turning to the sailors his sensei gave the order that explained everything.

" Get us to Yukigakure immediately!" The sailors were more than happy to oblige the silver-haired ninja.

As the ship began to leave, Sasuke could only turn back to the image of his teammate who was still fighting. Fighting so that they could finish the mission, fighting to allow them to escape, fighting to let them live;

Fighting because he thought they were right there helping him.

Sasuke's stomach tied itself into a knot, a cold hand grasping his heart. He was running away, abandoning a comrade to save his own skin, betraying the one he thought of as a brother.

A hand set itself upon his shoulder and a quick glance revealed shinobi gloves. "Why?" he questioned quietly. Only his sensei and recently awakened comrade could hear him.

"Sasuke," sighed his sensei. "I had no choice. He's unstable in that form and even if he wasn't we can't beat them, our best chance is to escape and hope that he takes them down."

Sakura gasped as she realized what had happened, but only Sasuke heard his Sensei's whisper.

"We can only pray that he's still alive when it's over."

He ignored another kunai that lodged itself into his bloodied flesh, the Kyuubi's chakra would heal the wound and he didn't have the time to take care of it. He had just beaten the pink haired one, Fubuki, if what he heard their leader say earlier was right, and was now focusing on the large man on a snowboard.

Sasuke was guarding the clients and Kakashi had been fighting the leader, so that meant Sakura had been defeated. He wanted to turn around and check on her but resisted the temptation. It wouldn't do to die just because he was worried for her safety, she was a kunoichi and could take care of herself.

He let out a primal roar, something caused by the massive amounts of demonic chakra flowing through his system, and clawed his opponent across the neck, slashing it open. Yeah, it was his first kill, but he didn't have time to think about that, his team needed him and he'd be damned if he didn't do everything in his power to help.

With two of the three shinobi down, Naruto turned around to aid his sensei.

He wasn't expecting to see a large dragon of ice headed straight towards him.

Jumping to the side, he attempted to dodge the no-doubt deadly attack but couldn't quite make it out of the jutsu's range.

Why was the leader attacking him? Shouldn't he be battling with Kakashi-sensei? Unless Kakashi had been defeated, which was unlikely.

Holding his left arm, which bleed profusely, he gazed at his attacker before he noticed something; the boat.

The boat that was moving away from the iceberg, the boat that was leaving him here with his enemies, the boat on which his team stood watching him.

They left him, they actually left him, abandoning him to die on this piece of ice. Then he realized something that caused his cloak of chakra to burn even more furiously;

The used him.

His own team had used him! Had thought of him as nothing more than a distraction so that they might escape, as if he was unworthy of being part of their team!

An enraged growl tore itself from his parched throat. If he was going to die he was going to take his enemies down with him. He would fight until it was no longer possible to move, and then, while whatever remaining enemies gloated over his corpse, he would activate the hundreds of explosive tags on his person.

Before he could attack again he felt something enter his right shoulder. Now, having experienced the feeling countless times, he could easily identify it as a kunai, no different from the others buried within him. There was, however, one thing that set this apart from the others, which he noticed due to the slight hissing sounds it produced.

Even as his wide eyes looked at the tag, which was being eroded by his chakra, he knew it would go off no matter what he tried. Hoping to lessen the damage, Naruto ordered all the Kyuubi's chakra to the rest of his body, an extremely difficult feat, leaving his arm exposed.

He knew he'd have to quit his shinobi career, if he survived this, due to the damage it would cause, but he couldn't really care at this point. The only thing that the blond wondered was who had thrown it. Cocking his head behind him he was met with the sight of a smirking Fubuki, propping herself up on her forearms.

There eyes met as the tag went off, a massive explosion that rocked the entire iceberg, and she fell back into unconsciousness once more, her victorious smirk never leaving her lips, even if the opponent had only been a single gennin.

She had no doubt in her blissfully slumbering mind that he was now a very dead gennin.

Sakura let out a horrified scream. She may not have been able to see Naruto, the person she had begun to see as a brother even if she didn't show it, but she had quite clearly seen the large explosion that shook the iceberg enough to produce the waves threatening to capsize them.

She couldn't believe they had left him there to die, just so they could run away to lick their wounds. It may not have been so bad had he sacrificed himself, but he hadn't even known what they were doing. A small part of her was glad that he hadn't known, both so they could live and so he wouldn't feel betrayed.

A bigger part wished he had known, had happily accepted the task and sacrificed himself for their sakes.

Collapsing to the wet floor of the ship, she drew in her legs and began to cry, her whisper wrenching the hearts of all the ship's occupants.

"Nii-san, please don't hate me."

All was silent, the freshly fallen snow undisturbed. Two figures remained motionless within it's frozen embrace, their life slowly leaking away.

'_Crunch'_

_A metal foot sank into the white powder, its owner striding towards the younger body, the blond boy in the bloodied rags. Yes, he would do nicely, they would have a master once more. Gently, it scooped up what remained of the young shinobi, consisting of a head, torso, and pelvis, ignoring the blood that even now stained its white cloak crimson._

_It's brother picked up the other figure, the pink haired kunoichi that had damaged the potential master they had been observing. She would pay, they swore it, she would serve their master, the one she tried to kill. They would leave her alone for now, it wasn't their place to train her nor was it their priority._

_The new master came first, they had little time until he passed away. Nodding to its brother, the two IG-100 MagnaGuards departed to what little remained of the ship that had crashed here millennia ago, now buried beneath the ice._

_They would save this boy, the legacy of General Grievous demanded it._

'_Beep'_

'_Beep'_

'_Beep'_

'_Beep'_

_The sound of monitors mixed with the whirring of machines as robotic arms went about completing their assigned tasks. Aside from the artificial limbs, nothing moved within the metal room. In shadows cast by the single flickering light darkness waited, observing as an abomination, a monster, and the most complex combination of man and machine to ever exist came into being._

_As the robots finished their work the beeping stopped, both the arms and monitors disengaging._

_Frozen blue eyes flashed open, glowing with unholy rage that stood out prominently against black sclera._

_An anguished scream pierced the air, tearing itself from the newly created monster._

_And then all was silent._


	2. Chapter 2

**Yeah, I know, I was supposed to update yesterday, but I completely forgot, sorry. ^_^**

**Another unplanned chapter, enjoy. **

* * *

He sat there, in total silence, as the shadows of the room enshrouded him in their comforting embrace. Even in the darkness he could see it clearly, a hand that was not his own, at least, not his original. It had been just yesterday that he was flesh, that he could consider himself human.

He clenched his fist before his face, plates of starship-grade metal of pure white having replaced the sun-kissed skin he once possessed. Most of his body was like that now, and that which wasn't was still encased in the protective shell.

His limbs had been lost in that explosion, he should've counted himself lucky that the fox-cloak was enough to protect him, that he was alive, that he had been found.

They called themselves IG-100 MagnaGuards and referred to him as either master or lord. They brought him back here and began doing everything they possibly could to insure his survival. His severed limbs were replaced with larger, mechanical ones, chakra flowing through them insured that he could use his ninja techniques and better control them. An added bonus of that chakra was that his limbs remained room temperature, as it would've been difficult to sleep with cold metal limbs.

He stood at a massive nine feet, but remained in a hunch that kept him at about seven and a half, giving him quite the imposing figure. If it wasn't intimidating enough his mask took it to even greater heights.

Over his head was a helmet in the shape of the upper part of a human skull, exposing only his lower jaw and cold, black lips. From the top of his helmet spilled his hair in countless small braids that fell to his lower back, the occasional braids framing his mask or resting before his eyes.

It seems as though the immense amount of demonic chakra had aged him, which was necessary for the changes they made to his body, and one of the results was his longer, pale-yellow hair.

Giving a sigh, he rose, grabbing the cloak he had been given -dark gray on the outside and crimson within- and made his way to the holding bay, where his droids, as he learned they were, had informed him a prisoner was currently being kept.

It wouldn't do to keep them waiting.

* * *

The cold of the ship bit against her bare flesh, sucking away any heat, any life. Once again Fubuki shivered, not just from the chill in the air but from the terror growing within her. Here she was, completely naked, her wrists and ankles clamped firmly to this large metal operating table, propped up at a slight angle, and just hours ago the most inhumane scream ripped through this unknown place.

What was to happen to her? Why wasn't she with her team? Had she been captured by the Konoha shinobi? Another group? Had her team retrieved her, just to sell her or use her for themselves?

She was interrupted from her thoughts when the door opened. It was too dark for her to see what was happening, and what little light came through from the hallway only cast the figure in a dark silhouette.

Brilliant, glacier-blue eyes glowed from the shadowy form, sparking a sense of dread within her heart.

"Lights." the voice, like the eyes, was cold, but not emotionless. It was angry, no doubt, but not at anything she could discern, and he kept it well buried.

As he had commanded, the lights flickered on, bathing the room in their pale luminance.

She nearly screamed.

Towering before her was a monster, there was no other way to describe it. White metal brought together in a humanoid form gave the appearance of an armored soldier, a being of death wrapped in a cloak of blood and shadow. His mask was like a trophy of a warrior's first kill, proudly displayed to all who dared look upon him. Peering from the mask were the blue eyes that terrified her, encased within a soulless depth of black.

He seemed darkly amused and yet, at the same time, slightly saddened by her reaction.

"Do you see what I am? What I have been forced to become in order to live?" he approached her, placing his masked face next to hers as their gazes locked. "What you have turned me into?"

What she turned him into? What was he talking about? Noticing her confusion, he decided to give her a hint.

His left arm emerged from the cloak and, within his metallic hand, were shards of dark grey metal.

"I believe this is yours." it took her a moment to figure out what he meant.

It was a kunai, her kunai, the kunai she'd thrown into the shoulder of an enemy ninja.

"I see you remember."

"Y-you, you're that Konoha brat!" she shouted, struggling against her bonds. There was a good possibility of him wanting revenge and she wasn't too keen about feeling the wrath of someone she blew up, of someone she turned into this monstrosity standing before her.

"Calm yourself." he ordered, gently stroking her cheek with his right arm. "If you obey you will not come to harm." she almost whimpered when his hand withdrew, and with it that wonderful warmth. Ever since she was a child she'd longed for warmth, for the comfort of a mother's embrace, the protection of a loving dad who drew you close and made you feel safe. Now, in this cold room, she could think of nothing better than the amazing warmth that came from the being before her.

But she would not become some slave for heat she'd gone without for her entire life.

"Fuck you!" this seemed to make him chuckle more.

"Oh no, my dear, there are many ways to break you, and I know just the thing for this situation. I had hoped you wouldn't be difficult, but I suppose I can consider this a form of revenge." his finger once again stroked her cheek before trailing down her body, stopping over her nether regions.

"I know you desire my warmth, that you hate the cold you have lived in all your life, and now I will give you that heat until you beg for release." her eyes widened in realization, but she couldn't do anything as she was.

A single digit began to rub against her nether-lips, taunting them with the warmth that sent jolts of pleasure through her body. She could only whimper as he entered her, moving in and out slowly.

How long had it been since she had last pleasured herself? When was her last release? It must have been a little over a year now, and she was beginning to regret that, but she would resist, no matter what.

She scowled at his smirk, but absolute hopelessness gripped her soul upon his next sentence.

"Ninety-six hours to go."

* * *

Naruto couldn't help the smirk that made it to his lips, he couldn't remember when he'd last had so much fun. He'd have to thank Ero-sennin later, who would've thought his teachings could ever be useful?

His body acting on auto-pilot, he continued to search through all the data General Grievous, his predecessor, had collected. It was immensely helpful that all the cyborg's memories had been collected within a storage system, one currently within his head.

Thinking of his predecessor, a thought occurred to him; If the original had changed his name upon becoming a cyborg, shouldn't he do so as well?

It didn't take long for him to come up with one.

'_Botsuraku, down fall.' _he decided '_from this day forth I will be the ruination of my enemies, none shall stand in my way, and all I face shall fall beneath me.'_

_It was fitting that he would be the downfall of his foes after falling from humanity due to actions of his opponents._

* * *

Writhing in pleasure, she had to bite her lip when it suddenly stopped.

No, No! she was so close! He couldn't stop now, just a little more! She knew that all it took was to swear her loyalty to obtain her release, but she would never allow herself to fall so low. She was better than some common street whore, she was a proud kunoichi of Yukigakure!

She didn't know how long it had been going on, an hour, a day, a week, it all blended together as she reached her peak time and time again just for him to stop upon her approaching orgasm. It was maddening, yes, but he had been doing it for quite some time, she was sure, and would soon grow tired and stop.

If she could just hold on for that last little bit she would be fine. Hope began to rise within her only to be brutally crushed.

"Ninety hours left."

She wanted to cry.

* * *

Tears streamed down her cheeks, freezing even as they ran across her pale skin. No more, no more, she couldn't take it any longer!

"Please," she whimpered. "I'll do anything, just let me have release!" her tone was so pitiful it would've, under normal circumstances, shamed her greatly, but at this moment she couldn't care less for such a trivial thing as pride.

"Anything?" he questioned, the pace of his fingers increasing. He truthfully had expected her to break on day three, about seventeen hours ago, the fact that she lasted this long was astounding.

"Anything!" declared the pink haired woman. "I'll be your slave, your fuck toy, your punching bag or training dummy, anything! Just don't stop, please!"

"Swear it," he ordered, smirking. "Swear your undying loyalty, pledge yourself to me, surrender your very being. Do so and I shall grant you your request."

She couldn't agree fast enough.

"Yes, yes! I, Kakuyoku Fubuki swear upon all that is me, my blood, my life, my very soul, that I shall serve you from now on, I give you myself to use as you see fit!"

"Very well, I am Botsuraku and, now, you are mine!" with that he finished her, sending the kunoichi into the best orgasm she had ever experienced. That orgasm, however, proved to be too much for the exhausted- both physically and mentally- woman, and she was soon slumbering blissfully.

Botsuraku unlatched the manacles and wrapped the nude kunoichi within his cloak, holding her close to his body, where she snuggled into and sighed contently. Brining her to his personal chambers, he laid her on his bed and tucked her in.

He'd give orders to the various droids to see to it that she was taken care of, but right now it was time for some training.

* * *

War cries resounded throughout the large hanger, echoing off the walls that remained of the ship. Filling the hanger were hundreds of mechanical warriors, each one wielding a humming blade of green. It had been easy to find the necessary items to create the light saber, but the crystal had been slightly more difficult.

He had already had it, it turns out, but was unaware that the Shodai's necklace was a suitable replacement for the original gem.

From the balcony he watched his clones work, smirking at the insane progress they were making. This hanger, easily filled with seven hundred copies, was only one of many. He had, in total, over five thousand clones, something that should be impossible.

It was only due to his ungodly reserves and a supercomputer implanted within his skull and operated by the suit that he was able to accomplish such a feat. The memory backlash that would cause kage level shinobi to go into comas was imputed directly to the computer, which sorted through them and slowly intergraded them to his own mind.

It wouldn't be long until he was up to par with his predecessor, until he could completely consider himself the legacy of grievous, until he could truly be-

Botsuraku


	3. Chapter 3

Pleasant humming filled the bedchamber as she worked, braiding the hair of her new master. His monstrous form sat on the edge of the bed and she kneeled comfortably behind him completely naked, oddly enjoying the mundane task. He hadn't asked her to, but she did so anyway. She preferred take matters concerning his being herself, not fully trusting most of the droids- who had proven themselves incompetent performing the most trivial of things- and wished to show that she was worthy of her master's full trust, not that she didn't already have it.

Even when she had been re-swearing her allegiance he had shown complete trust. The oath was bound in blood and chakra and in order to obtain his own blood he'd been forced to remove his chest armor, exposing himself to her. All it would've taken for her to kill him was to grab the small ceremonial blade- she still didn't know where he had found it- and use her kunoichi training to quickly dispatch him.

She had, at first, thought that he was either naïve or, more likely, followed some sense of honor that bound him to his word and he expected the same from others. Now that she knew him better, however, she had come to the realization that he probably could've stopped her, and it was most likely a test.

She was glad that she had passed. While she may have not been in the most sound of mind when she originally swore her loyalty, she still felt a connection of sorts to him. It may have been because they had both been abandoned by their teams, or even guilt from what she had turned him into, but whatever the cause she wished nothing more than to aid him in any way possible.

She was finishing with the last braid, and was about to tie it with a small piece of string as she had with the others, when he stopped her by holding up his hand.

"Your hair." His whisper, something that even now sent shivers of terror and arousal through her very being- something she assumed would occur to most battle-hardened kunoichi, as it spoke of power and deadly force- was quiet and yet easily traversed the frigid air.

He elaborated before she could question his orders. "Tie it with some of your hair."

Figuring it was some sort of warrior custom, she did so without complaint, slicing some of the pink hair that now hung freely around her head and wrapping it around his own. It would be so easy to take the blade in her hand and plunge it into the base of his neck, which was currently unprotected, but she wouldn't be able to live with herself.

She had destroyed his natural body and he had still taken her in- even if it had been through force- when her team left her to die in the snow. He could have killed her for her actions, tortured her for revenge, raped her for his own enjoyment, and yet he did nothing but ask for her loyalty, for her to become his ally in a vicious world that had turned against them both. Sure, he may have needed to…convince…her, but she had decided that it was merely some incentive, a taste of what could be hers if she agreed.

Yeah, that sounded a lot better than having her will broken and being completely at his mercy- which turned her on like nothing else- and begging for release. She had a reputation to keep, after all, she was a kunoichi of Yukigakure.

One who would do anything for her new master.

Little did Fubuki know of the chakra currently residing within her, drawing her to its original source, its master. Nor was she aware of the mental suggestions left by her masters use of the force, compulsions to serve loyally, just as she had sworn, forcing her to stay true to her word.

If Botsuraku had any say in things, she never would.

This could easily be considered the worst mission in Kakashi's shinobi career, even greater then when he lost Obito under a landslide. First they had to fight jounin level ninja, then they had abandoned Naruto, the boy he looked at as a little brother, the son of his father figure, just because he had accessed the Kyuubi's chakra to defeat their opponents, and now they were facing two jounin level ninja who had a hostage and were one teammate short.

That same teammate was also arguably the best of his three gennin and, when using the power of the Kyuubi no Kitsune, easily more powerful than himself.

Yeah, they were obviously in deep shit.

"Hahahahaha! And now the weapon of Yuki no Kuni will be mine!" Doto was about to insert the key when a loud buzzing sound was heard, drawing attention to movement in the distance.

A distance that was rapidly being devoured by the object. With just a glance Kakashi could estimate the speed, upwards of 300kph. Nothing that he knew of could move so incredibly fast.

As it got closer the copy-ninja was able to make out more detail, like the spinning blades that made up most of the vehicle or the armored man sitting on the side, a gray and crimson cape trailing behind him and miraculously not getting caught in the wheel.

"What is it, Kakashi-sensei?" asked Sasuke. He knew his teacher's vision was much better than his own and could probably identify the unknown object.

"I- I don't know." admitted the Cyclops, thoroughly confused. What could it possibly be?

Within his Tsmeu-6 wheel bike, Botsuraku smirked, his black lips twisting in satisfaction for actions not yet completed. A small detail that would soon be rectified.

He had but four simple goals for this little excursion. First, killing that bastard Doto. Second, gaining the gratitude of the knew daimyo, Koyuki. Third, reclaiming the lightsaber crystal they all thought was they key to the generator. And lastly, but certainly not least, activate the generator.

This one would puzzle many, but they wouldn't have any idea of why or how the generator worked. A deal made by Doto's brother, the rightful daimyo, and his IG-100 MagnaGuards was the source of the device, a device that, while heating up the land, would produce his army.

Below the snow and ice was an entire droid factory, built with whatever was recovered from the crash. Any additional supplies were given by the daimyo in return for the heat that the factory would produce. The daimyo had been overjoyed about an opportunity to bring spring, and possibly even summer, to his lands.

Soon it would be activated, the army produced, and Botsuraku would be one step closer to surpassing his predecessor. He would not just be Botsuraku, but General Botsuraku, supreme droid commander.

Staring at the odd device in the distance, Doto attempted to identify it. Anything that advanced had to be his, but for the life of him he couldn't remember seeing such a thing in his armory before. Perhaps one of the engineers had produced a new prototype, and had sent it out to both aid him and test it.

He'd have to reward whoever was brilliant enough to come up with such a deadly looking vehicle, he had no doubt that it could mow down soldiers like the powdered snow it was tearing through and that item on the left was some sort of powerful weapon.

There was still, however, a shred of doubt within him that this might not be his, that it might be a third party here for any one of various possible reasons.

He could only hope that it was there to help him and, standing across from him, the Konoha shinobi prayed for the same.

"Damn it!" Swore Fubuki, peering over a nearby ledge. "I can't see a fucking thing!" When she was tapped on the shoulder she spun around violently, but calmed down upon realizing that it was a droid that did it.

"What?" she hissed at the assassin droid, she was not in the mood for their stupidity today.

It said nothing, but handed her a pair of binoculars before returning to its sniper rifle and resuming its assigned task of watching its master's back. Botsuraku could probably take care of himself, but it was always better to have a little extra protection.

Abashed, she mumbled a quiet "Thanks" to which the droid nodded. She kept forgetting that this wasn't like the other droids, most of which had been damaged in the crash all those years ago. Specialist droids such as this assassin took priority to the others, which is why it was stored more carefully and had survived the crash.

Squatting down, she brought the binoculars to her eyes while wrapping the grey cloak tighter around her barely-clad form. The kunai that she'd thrown at Botsuraku was wrapped in so many explosive notes that her own armor- even if it had been damaged previously by her masters great power- was rendered into mere scraps of metal, scraps that he'd actually sent to the factory for some unknown reason.

All that survived the explosion were her undergarments and, miraculously, her boots. She failed to see how the boots survived everything else when they were the closest to the explosion but wasn't about to complain.

She just wished Botsuraku would hurry up and finish so she could share some of his wonderful warmth. Giving a sigh, she resigned herself to waiting and watching, hoping this wouldn't take much longer.

Sliding to a stop between both groups and allowing his Tsmeu-6 to deploy its legs, Botsuraku dismounted, showing them all the nightmare that he was. Towering above them easily, he was an imposing sight that would've made most people flee in terror.

Something Sakura, Sasuke, and Doto were seriously considering.

With naught a word Botsuraku began moving towards the current daimyo of Yuki no Kuni, stopping before him. Doto figured that it must be one of his new warriors, but for some reason his instincts screamed danger. He passed it of as the warrior's appearance.

He should've listened to his instincts.

A loud 'Hissssss' was all the warning he got before he found himself without an arm. Reeling back and trying to understand what had just happened, he was unable to defend himself from the next swipe of the glowing green blade, which removed his other arm and filled the area with the smell of burning flesh.

"Wh-what?" he muttered, too shocked by the sudden loss of his limbs to think clearly. A large, taloned foot grabbed his torso, slamming him to the ground and pressing over 160 kilograms of weight onto him.

"I had a deal with your brother," Stated the war machine, Furious, ice-blue eyes boring into Doto. That wasn't completely true, as it was the droids with the deal, but as their new leader it could be considered his. " And was most displeased to learn he was no longer alive, I was even more displeased to learn that he had been murdered. I decided to find out who had done it and found, much to my surprise, that it was his brother, and the true heir to his throne was forced to flee the country. Without the true daimyo on the throne, I can't expect the deal to be upheld, can I?"

Doto's eyes widened in horror.

"Ah, it seems that you know what I mean. You're in my way, Doto, and so you must be eliminated. Goodbye." The cold tone gripped at the hearts of all those present, surrounding them with a frigid blanket of despair, but none more so than Doto.

The next slice made by the humming blade was not at the neck, but from shoulder to hip, bisecting him diagonally.

An expression of absolute terror was frozen upon the man's face where it would remain until the body was disposed of. Disregarding the fallen dictator, Botsuraku turned his attention to the Konoha shinobi, ignoring Nadare completely.

The snow shinobi didn't seem to appreciate that. Rushing in silently, he jumped up and brought his kunai down upon the new arrival.

"Bad choice, Nadare."

It was over in an instant, Botsuraku had turned around with incredible speed and thrust his lightsaber through the shinobi's sternum, pulling up and slicing through his head.

"I gave you a chance to simply walk away, Nadare." He spoke to the corpse in disgust. "You should've taken it."

Once again giving the Konoha shinobi his attention he spoke with contempt, as if he was revolted by their very presences. "You leave me to die, so that you might live, and yet you still needed me to save your lives." he spat on the snow, his black lips twisting into a sneer. "Pathetic."

Realization hit them hard, and it was Sakura who spoke hopefully.

"N-Naruto?"


	4. Chapter 4

**A little behind schedule (what little I have) but I couldn't update yesterday, sorry.**

* * *

"Naruto?" asked Sakura hesitantly. She wasn't sure if she should be overjoyed that he was alive or horrified that he had experienced their betrayal and become this monstrous being before her.

"Once." Admitted the war machine, turning his attention to the tiny girl. "But he died last week, blown up with exploding tags and left to bleed out in the snow. I am Botsuraku."

Walking over to Koyuki, he helped her up, before moving over to Doto's corpse, digging through the armor and crimson snow until he found what he was looking for; a blue crystal.

"Ah, here we are." He exclaimed, holding the gem to the light. "So much trouble caused by such a small thing, curious, is it not?" the question had been directed towards the princess, and she nodded shakily in agreement.

He gave her a small smile. "You have nothing to fear from me, my dear, I'm only here to see your father's deal is not broken."

"And what was the deal?" she asked curiously. He was obviously a warrior and, if she had heard correctly, that blonde boy who had been on her boat. She had cried privately for hours when she heard that not only did he die, but he had fallen due to the cowardice of his teammates, those he had trusted his life to. It was so like her own situation that she had immediately turned herself around. She would not be responsible for the deaths of the people whom had sworn themselves to her.

He chuckled as he strode over to the control panel, his large feet crunching in the freshly fallen white powder. "You don't need to know that, as he has upheld his part, now I only need to keep my own."

Instead of inserting the crystal, as they all had expected, he simply placed his finger in the keyhole, activating a large holographic monitor.

"Status."

'_All systems operational, commence production?'_

"Yes, proceed."

'_Activating'_

He walked away from the screen, which shut down at his departure, and the sound of heavy machinery filled the air. It was mere moments latter that hot air began to pour out of nearby vents, slowly melting the snow.

"A-amazing." breathed the princess. She had always dreamed of spring and now, because of him, of Botsuraku, she would not just see it, as she had in other countries, but share it with the people of Yuki.

Her people.

Approaching the metal giant, she kneeled at his feet, her forehead touching the damp earth. Earth! Soil! Dirt! And in Yuki no Kuni, no less! She was overjoyed.

"Thank you!" she declared happily. "Your actions mean much to me and my people, I can never sufficiently repay you. Please, do not hesitate to call on me or my people if you find yourself in need of anything."

The new, unofficial, Daimyo felt a warm, metal finger cup her chin, bringing her head up to look at the one who had done so much for her country. Not only did he kill Doto and bring spring, but he also helped her realize the ruler she needed to become.

"Thank you, princess. I will remember your words when I find myself in need of aid." he smiled warmly at her. "Now, please, get of the ground. It wouldn't do for a princess to be dirty when first meeting her people."

Blushing slightly, she took his offered hand and allowed him to pull her up to her feet, noticing that he was starring of into the distance. She was puzzled until she heard a noise similar to that of his vehicle but less harsh. Less than a minute latter a gray vehicle, hovering above the ground, arrived.

It was about seven meters in length and possessed two seats, one of which, obviously the driver's, was occupied by a tan metal humanoid, the upper torso decorated with blue paint.

"This is an OOM pilot battle droid, I have tasked him with taking you back to your new castle." explained Botsuraku.

"And the vehicle?" inquired Koyuki. "I have never seen something like it."

"Just a basic Landspeeder, designed for civilian transport, it's perfectly safe." he assured her, helping her in. "I already have various droids stationed throughout the castle, they will allow no harm to befall you."

"Thank you, Botsuraku-kun." she said, blushing. "I hope to see you in the castle soon."

He gave a slight bow, almost impossible to see because he was already hunched over. "Of course, Daimyo-sama. I will do my best not to keep you waiting." sending a command to the pilot droid via his helmet, it took of at speeds nearing 100kph, the princess laughing in delight at the new experience.

He gave one last smile at her retreating form before his name- his old name- was called, bringing his attention to the silver haired jounin.

"Naruto? Is it really you?"

"Hatake, you fool. If you listened as well as you ran you would know the answer to your question." The acidic venom dripping from his tongue melted the ice faster than the ventilation shafts of his droid factory.

"What happened to you, dobe?" Asked Sasuke. He probably couldn't have asked something worse.

"What happened to me? What happened? You know very well what happened!" he released a dark, hollow laugh. "But I suppose that without you precious Sharingan you can't remember anything."

"You want to know what happened? Fine, I'll tell you." instinctively, the three ninjas knew they weren't going to enjoy this.

They were right.

"It was about a week ago, and I was on a mission to protect a beautiful actress," he began. In the speeder Koyuki suddenly felt the need to blush and on a distant ledge Fubuki felt unexplainably angry. "We were attacked while filming on an iceberg, and the actress was rushed to the boat."

A feeling of dread began to gnaw at their insides.

"I was there with three teammates, the exact same number as enemies, so one of us was tasked with assuring the safe evacuation of the civilians. I fought the single kunoichi in the team of snow ninja that had attacked, leaving the leader to my sensei and the other to my teammate. While fighting the pink haired one I was forced to call upon the power of a demon, and her teammate soon joined in, notifying me that my comrade had been defeated.

"I overpower the kunoichi and quickly dispatched her teammate with the aid of the demon before turning to support my sensei. What sight greeted me was not of my sensei fighting, but of his opponent sending a deadly attack in my direction because the one tasked with leading me had left with my two teammates to the boats, casting off and leaving me stranded on an iceberg with hostiles a jounin deemed too dangerous to fight.

"A kunai entered my shoulder, disregarded like the many others, but this one was different. Covered in high-powered explosive notes, it had enough force to rock the entire iceberg. But I wouldn't have focused on that, would I? No, I'd be too busy having my limbs torn from my body due to the complete cowardice displayed by my team, a team that swore to never abandon their friends. Obviously I was not considered a friend.

They flinched at the jab.

"I was found, by whom I will not reveal, and they helped heal me. There was little they could do, however, for my lost appendages, so they replaced them with mechanical ones, a medical breakthrough long since lost to the ever-flowing sands of time. While recuperating they taught me much and granted to me that which belonged to their previous master.

"Using that which I had been given, I killed a tyrant and restored the rightful Daimyo to the throne, earning the gratitude of an entire country."

He gave a mirthless chuckle. "It looks like I'll finally get that acknowledgement I had always desired, and all it took was for me to lose my limbs."

His frozen eyes peered into Sasuke's soul. "And that is what happened to me, Uchiha."

The group was rendered speechless, which Botsuraku took advantage of. "If that's all, I'll be going. It's been a tiring day and I need to rest." boarding his Tsmeu-6, he took off, leaving those he used to consider precious behind him.

"Finally!" shouted Fubuki, standing up and walking towards her own speeder. "Master certainly took his damn time." she'd been squatting in the cold-ass snow for upwards of ten minutes and wanted nothing more than to go snuggle up to her master.

Carelessly tossing her borrowed binoculars into the speeder she hopped in the passenger side. The assassin droid soon followed, carefully packing up its rifle and placing it within the speeder before entering themselves.

"Step on it, my nipples are as hard as diamond and my ass has frozen." The droid obeyed immediately, but if it could've it would've no doubt sweat-dropped.

Just as he had promised, Botsuraku immediately sought out Koyuki upon reaching the castle, her castle. The cyborg found her sitting on her bed staring at a picture of her father on the day he became the Daimyo of Yuki no Kuni.

"Princess." he called out upon reaching her doorframe. Noticing her tears, he walked over and sat next to her on the bed. "Are you alright?" he asked, concerned for her wellbeing. She was an ally, and as such he would make sure she was taken care of.

"I-I'm fine." she sniffled. He didn't buy it.

"Tell me what's wrong." he ordered. She just smiled sadly.

"Am I that easy to read?" she asked, looking up at him. His lips quirked into a smirk.

"Maybe, but then again, your tears really weren't helping you hide it." She laughed slightly, but it was obviously lacking in heart.

"It's just that I've only returned and they expect me to lead them. I don't know anything of this place, how could I possibly do a good job?" she began sniffling some more. "I don't want to fail them, to fail him."

Ah, so that was why she was upset.

"I think that this shows that you're perfectly capable of leading a country." at her confused gaze he continued. "You care for the wellbeing of your subjects and question your own competence. You are but one, inexperienced person, and you would do well to remember that. Do not be afraid to gain aid from those who have more experience and knowledge, they are a valuable recourse that shouldn't be wasted.

"As for your father, well, I think he'd be proud even if you ran his kingdom into the ground. After all, you'd have tried your best and done everything in your power to do well, how could he not?"

As he spoke she had managed to maneuver herself into his lap and was now leaning against his chest, her sniffling had stopped but every so often a rouge tear would fall. One of his hands found itself grabbing a tissue from the bedside table and, in turn, that tissue found itself dabbing away at her tears and gently wiping the makeup from her face.

"There, much better." he declared as she peered up at him. "You look at lot more beautiful without all that makeup" This earned a blush that suited her well, in his opinion, at least.

Blushing even harder, she shyly made a request. "Could-Could you stay here tonight, with me?" In such a short amount of time he had become like a pillar, supporting her while she tried to stand on her own as the daimyo of Yuki no Kuni. Right now the last thing she wanted was to be separated from her source of comfort.

"Of course, Daimyo-sama, your wish is my command." He smiled. "You'll have to get out of my lap so I can remove my armor though." she pouted, but did so, watching eagerly to discover what he now looked like.

Just touching his armor was enough to give it the order to disengage the locking mechanisms holding it together. Piece by piece he removed it, slowly revealing the tan skin beneath. With his torso now bare, he reached up to grasp his helmet which hissed as it was removed.

Gasping in surprise, Koyuki ran her hands over his face in wonder, noticing how much it had matured during the week they had spent apart.

"How?" she questioned.

"A result of my fight, the power I drew on both damages and heals it's user, effectively aging them. The cost is high, but the power is great." he replied honestly. There was no reason for him to lie to her.

"Don't." She ordered, confusing him.

"My lady?" Botsuraku inquired.

"Don't use that power, I don't want you to age to fast, I don't want you to die anytime soon." she said it harshly but he easily identified the worry within her tone.

"Of course, I only use it in emergencies." She didn't seem pleased by that, but accepted it. Once again she pressed her form into his chest and he instinctively wrapped his arms around her.

"Let's go to bed." He suggested. She nodded happily in agreement. Gently, he directed her to the king sized bed in the center of the master bedroom, rolling into it and bringing her with him. Idly she noticed that his taloned feet had remained on the floor by the bed, but dismissed it as unimportant for now.

She tried to sleep, laying atop his form, but a coldness from his pelvis proved too distracting. Lifting the sheets, the dim light of her room allowed her to see his remaining armor, something not heated by his chakra. Frowning, she asked him about it.

"Why are you still wearing armor?" The answer was extremely simple.

"I didn't have clothing over my torso, what would make you think that down there is any different?"

Blushing heavily, she preformed one of the boldest actions of her life to this point. "You can remove them, I wont be able to sleep with you wearing them, anyway." He quirked an eyebrow.

"Are you sure you want me to do that, Koyuki?" Hesitantly, she nodded.

"If it makes you more comfortable I could remove my own clothes, then it wouldn't be as strange." this earned a chuckle.

"So a Daimyo and her knight in shining armor laying naked together in her bed isn't strange?" he asked.

She only giggled. "Not as strange as you might think." she admitted, causing him to grin.

"Very well, if that's what my Lady wishes, it shall be done." she giggled some more, slipping out of bed and removing the robes she hadn't bothered to earlier. He followed suit, tossing of the sheets to remove the last pieces of his armor and, in the process, revealing something new about him.

"You have feet?" she asked. Yeah, it would sound weird out of context, but earlier he had massive talons. Now, however, he had normal human feet, the same white as the rest of his armor.

"Yeah, I figured they might be necessary so I found a way to combine the two feet types, that way I wouldn't have to carry around multiple." seeing his reasoning, she let the subject drop and returned to her undressing, making as much a show out of it as the possibly could.

Botsuraku wasn't going to complain.

When she was finished, revealing her divine nude form, she sauntered back over to him, taking extra care to sway her hips for him.

Once again, he wasn't going to complain.

Reaching Botsuraku, who had recently finished with his own undressing, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pushed him back onto the bed, crawling up to rest on his lap as she did so. She went in for a kiss and he eagerly obliged, grabbing her hips.

At some point he remembered turning of the light-switch next to the bed, but he was a little distracted with the gorgeous nude woman currently lip-locking with him.

It was a good day to be General Botsuraku.


	5. Chapter 5

Yawning, Fubuki stretched as much as she could without leaving her master's arms. Still reveling in the warmth he produced, she snuggled back into his bare torso, sighing happily.

Yeah, she knew it was a clone, and yes, she knew that the original was probably in the new Daimyo's bed, but she wasn't going to get upset over something like that. After all, she was just a slave, sworn to do his bidding. In her opinion she didn't even deserve to have this clone holding her.

She was his and would graciously take whatever he saw fit to give her.

That didn't mean she didn't want more, though.

* * *

"You…know….that I…have...duties to…attend to…right?" Panted Koyuki, hungrily kissing her companion. Just because they didn't have sex didn't mean they hadn't spent most of the night in a heated make-out session, one eagerly resumed this morning.

"What's your point?" Asked Botsuraku, pausing their fun. "You're the Daimyo, you can do as you damn well please."

"Is that so?" she asked sultrily, a sexy smirk making it's way to her lips. "And if I wanted to spend the next three days locked in this room with you?" She began to grind herself against the leg she'd been straddling as her right arm went behind his neck the other began to lightly stroke his chest.

"If that is what my beautiful hostess wants, her will be done." He replied with a wolfish grin, grabbing her rear and giving it a playful squeeze.

She gave a gasp and licked her lips before leaning next to his ear. "Oh, you'll do a lot more than my will, won't you?" Her wanton whisper was just what he wanted to hear.

Easily turning himself over, he pressed her against the bed, leaning in to capture her lips. Her surprise disappearing, she wrapped her legs around his waist and her arm around his neck, meeting his hungry lips with a lustful kiss.

Breaking away, he trailed feathery-light kisses over her jaw line and down her neck. Sucking lightly, he smirked when she moaned softly.

"Do you like that, Yuki Hime?" He muttered, his lips never leaving her pale skin. The name seemed to please her, as she moaned even louder than before, rapidly nodding her head.

"Mmmm, yes, I'm your dirty little snow princess, my lord."

Leaving the nape of her neck, he traveled across her collarbone, moving down the valley of her breasts and over her toned stomach. She'd needed a great body for her acting and she definitely had one. Those personal trainers had been well worth it.

When he reached her well-groomed nether-lips he gave it a single, long kiss, and began moving back up, causing her to whine. Smirking, he continued to her breasts, coating the supple flesh with saliva as he kissed everything but her hardened nipples.

"S-stop it!" She ordered. "No more teasing!"

Immediately he latched on, sucking gently and rolling it with his tongue.

"Oooooh, yes! Just like that! Kami, that feels so goooooooooooooood." Came the throaty moan, only serving to encourage him. He greatly enjoyed making her react in such a way, in having this power over her.

He switched to her other breast for a few minutes before descending to the true prize, the pair of lips he'd yet to make out with. She was confused by the lack of attention her breasts were getting and sat up in time to see him flick out his tongue, drawing it over her womanhood.

She had only enough time for her eyes to widen before he began furiously attacking it, lashing out at her soaking pussy with abandon.

"Yes!" she cried as her legs pushed him further into her folds. "Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Don't stop, don't stop!" He had no intentions of doing so.

When she finally came he disengaged, licking away what remained of her juices as he took in her nude form, propped up on her forearms and panting heavily. "We…..are…..definitely….doing more…of that….later." she informed him, watching with fascination as his tongue collected her nectar from black lips. If she wasn't already painfully horny that would've aroused her like nothing else.

Claiming her lips with his own, he happily shared his prize with her ravenous tongue. She moaned as his tongue entered her mouth, pressing against her own as they fought for dominance. She quickly surrendered, allowing him to do as he pleased within her mouth.

Eventually they stopped, desperately gulping for air, and he was able to see the lust clouding her eyes. When she had said three days she had been completely serious. Hell, with those eyes he could be in here for over a month.

"Do it." she commanded. "Take me, I want to feel you inside me."

"As you wish." With a single thrust he entered her, blasting through her hymen and drawing blood. When he saw her wince and bite her lip he stopped and attempted to hold her, but she pushed him away, determined to face this on her own. After a minute more she turned to him.

"What do you think you're doing?" she demanded. "I didn't tell you to stop. Now, pound my dirty pussy until I cant remember my name." She gave him a sexy smirk while trying to suppress what remained of the pain, which he noticed.

Nodding, he did as told, furiously pumping in and out as her whimpers turned from that of pain to that of pleasure.

"Mmmmm, yes! Pound my sopping cunt, make me your bitch, your slutty little princess!" He wasn't sure if she was role-playing or not, but he really didn't care. All that mattered was the fact that he currently had the Daimyo of Yuki no Kuni begging for him to fuck her, how many could claim anything similar?

He held back a groan as he continued to piston in and out of her warm womanhood, enjoying every second of being wrapped in her velvet walls. If he'd known how wonderful this felt he would have lost his virginity while on that mission to find Tsunade. Heck, Jiraiya had even offered to pay if he couldn't find someone to do it for free.

Leaning forward, he began sucking on the nape of her neck before traveling up her neck, across her jaw line, and to her semi-parted lips, claiming them in a searing kiss.

Needily, she returned the kiss, pulling his head in closer and giving access to her mouth. She couldn't believe she was actually doing this, was losing her virginity, and to a fourteen year-old cyborg, no less! She couldn't bring herself to mind, almost couldn't bring herself to think!

It felt so amazing to have him within her, stretching her out as their bodies became one. She briefly wondered about the chances of becoming pregnant, but dismissed it. She wouldn't mind carrying the child of her land's savior, of her savior, and she wasn't even sure he could have kids. For all she

knew he might have been damaged in the explosion more than she thought, rendering him sterile.

The thought was forced out from her head by his thrusting hips, and she once again began to lose herself to the pleasure. She knew her release was approaching, and she did everything in her power to hold it off, even squirming around so he would stop hitting her G-spot. She didn't know how he had found it so quickly, maybe it was just that great luck she'd heard he possessed?

She hoped he came soon, she wasn't going to let herself orgasm before him. It was a reward, she justified her actions, his reward for saving her and the country of Yuki no Kuni. What kind of reward would benefit the giver rather than the recipient?

'No, no, not yet, he hasn't come, he hast cooOOOOOOOME!' With an orgasmic scream she released, her second orgasm of the day. The only thing dampening her enjoyment was that he had yet to release so far.

Managing to pout while gasping for air, she narrowed her eyes at him. "Why didn't you come?" she demanded, getting a shrug in response.

"I guess I'm not to that point, princess. It's fine." He responded plainly. Her slight look of irritation melted away, replaced with a sexy smirk and mischievous sparkle in her eye.

"We'll then, if that wasn't enough we'll just have to keep going now, won't we?" Yeah, there was no way in hell he was leaving anytime soon.

"Round two?" she purred.

It was DAMN good to be General Botsuraku.

* * *

It was five days latter that the two arrived in the dining hall, appearing disheveled and smelling like sex, heavy sex, a LOT of heavy sex.

Her hair was a mess and her robes were worn haphazardly. She had a glazed look in her eyes and glowed brighter than a blushing Hinata. Plopping herself into her chair at the head of the table, she lounged with a sigh, her mind continually recalling the events of the past few days.

Botsuraku was only a little better.

His helmet was on at an angle, his hair spilling out from the top in braids that barely staid together. In most cases they had come undone, his hair hanging messily around his helmet. A satisfied smirk graced his black lips and his eyes gave off a sense of accomplishment. His armor was on just had it had been the other day, as it was impossible to wear incorrectly.

It was surprising that he took the time to put it on at all, then again, it probably wasn't. What kind of warrior isn't prepared for battle at all times?

A dead one, that's what.

Team seven, or at least those on it that could be considered one hundred percent human (banshee-ness exempt.), who had been eating at the long table, gave them curious gazes, and only Kakashi knew what had happened. Giggling, he gave an eye-smile and asked;

"Did you two have fun?" Koyuki was unable to answer, so it fell on Botsuraku to respond to the Cyclops.

"I fail to see how that is any of your concern, Hatake."

"Well, you are my student, so it's my responsibility to know what you've been up to." He found himself dodging one of the knifes at the table, thrown at inhuman speeds by the cyborg. Lucky for him, Shinobi really didn't conform to normal human standards, so he was able to avoid it, if barely. His eyes widened and Botsuraku replied with a dangerous, wrathful hiss.

"Do not talk about your responsibilities to my wellbeing, Hatake!" Glacier eyes had narrowed and pupils became slits, tinged with a malevolent purple. "You lost the right of being my sensei when you left me to die, when you abandoned your student and your beliefs because you were to much of a coward."

"Naruto, you have to understand-" he pleaded, but the war machine would have none of it.

"Silence!" He roared, shocking the table and bringing the Daimyo from her daydreaming. "Understand? Understand?! I understand perfectly well what you did, traitor! Sacrifice a life for the mission, right Hatake? Those were the words you lived by, no? Or was it the opposite?

"Those who abandon the mission are trash, but those who abandon their friends are worse than trash, those were the words that you preached, how well did it turn out? You left me, an action that almost cost you the entire mission."

He sneered in disgust.

"You, Hatake, are worse than trash, you are scum, disease, rust. You are a worthless hypocrite, and I can not listen to your words nor stand your presence any longer."

Botsuraku got up from the table, his talons clicking across the marble floors, and the Daimyo soon followed, sending hateful glares at the tables remaining occupants. The guards in the room did the same, radiating pure hostility as they watched the group with spiteful eyes.

How dare these guests insult the man whom the Daimyo favored, who had saved the country! Had they been able, every single one of the Daimyo's warriors would have attacked, driving out those who dared show such insolence.

Easily identifying the hostility, the three knew they had fucked up.


	6. Chapter 6

**Greetings, my minions. As your master I have seen fit to throw you some more of my table scraps, shreds of the thoughts in my head.**

**In all serious though, here's the next chapter for you to enjoy. My loyal, awesome readers can skip the next part, as it's merely a message to the guests who read ANY of my stories.**

* * *

**Alright you dipshits, listen up!**

**If you're going to leave a review that asks a question, criticizes my work, or orders me to do something, at least have the balls to give me a way to contact you! I'm getting pretty damn sick of receiving these and having no way to clarify and explain myself, though I really shouldn't have to. I won't call using the internet a mask to hide behind, I will, however, call anyone hiding behind the safety of a anonymous review a pathetic excuses for a sentient being.**

**Where's your pride in your opinion? Are you so ashamed of your own thoughts? Stand up and proudly declare it, otherwise you shouldn't even speak. I don't care if you give me a steam account, a runescape username, a gamertag, an email, or maybe even, I don't know, a fucking fanfiction account, just so long as I can get a hold of you I'm fine. Hell, if you give me a way to contact you I don't mind you bashing on every chapter of every fic I have.**

**If you're one of the guests that have been giving me awesome, positive reviews then I apologize for this. I knew, however, that if I addressed this to negative reviews they would most likely ignore it completely.**

**Once again, this is for all my stories and all the reviewers too scared to claim their own thoughts.**

**Have a nice day.**

* * *

Yelling filled the air as the sailors scurried about preparing for the upcoming journey. It had been roughly a month since they had been hired to bring a group here, to the land of snow, and they were more than happy to start heading back to their families and relative safety of their homes.

Hell, a blonde in Iwa was probably safer than they had been in the past few weeks.

They were almost ready to depart, too, only waiting on the last of the team to arrive, the one they didn't wait for last time. Did a feeling of guilt plague them all? Absolutely, but they weren't about to risk their own lives and the wellbeing (both emotional and financially) of their families for anyone, even a young, energetic, lovable boy whom you couldn't help but like.

He wasn't like that now, they had heard, he had changed into a stone-hearted warrior of metal and flesh, a twisted abomination that mocked nature every second it existed. Monster or machine, it didn't matter, they were only concerned about possible retribution for leaving him to die, even if it was his team- the ones who hired them- that had ordered them to do so.

Pushing it to the back of their minds, the seamen continued to work, the sooner they finished the sooner they departed and the sooner they could reach their loved ones.

But not everyone at the pier had loved ones to return to.

* * *

The first one without people to return to was Uchiha Sasuke, the last Uchiha still loyal to Konoha. He had had a family at one point, an entire clan of people who smiled and waved for no other reason then they all actually cared for each other. He had never realized how good it felt to have people acknowledge him for **who** he was rather than **what** he was.

And to think, the death of all those people, of his entire extended family, had been caused by the man he had looked at as a god, his brother Uchiha Itachi. His brother was a genius, his progress within the shinobi arts impossible, and maybe that was what caused it. No one could match up to the teen, no one could offer a challenge, he had nothing to compare himself to, and so he fought an entire clan of powerful warriors.

No, not fought.

He had slaughtered them, moving from living corpse to living corpse, and they hadn't stood a chance. The most powerful clan in Konoha reduced to a single boy by the son of the clan head, because he wished to test himself.

Nothing more, nothing less, it was a personal test, a challenge, and it hadn't met his standards. Itachi had simply walked away when it was over, probably in search of a way to test himself, leaving him with nothing more than an empty compound and a few parting words.

_"There is no value in killing the likes of you… My foolish brother… If you want to kill me… curse me! Hate me! And live a long and unsightly life… Run away… run away… and cling to your pitiful life." _

Even now, years later, the voice of his elder brother resonated within the depths of his mind. He had ended up closing himself off from everyone, both because they didn't actually care for him as a person and out of a fear of making bonds, bonds his brother might have used to make his life more miserable.

And still, despite his best efforts, he couldn't stop a bond from forming with his rival, a boy who became a brother to him;

The boy he had left to die.

It wasn't his fault, was it? He had just followed orders, did what was excepted of him as a Konoha shinobi, was that bad? Did it make him a terrible friend, a horrible brother? Yes, it probably did, but it made him a proper ninja.

Yeah, a hell of a lot that did for him, his brother was gone now, dead because of him, replaced by the monster made from his flesh and memories, a heartless machine filled with bitterness and a grudge that could last for eternity.

Honestly, Sasuke couldn't blame him;

But he could blame himself, and that's exactly what he did.

* * *

The next family-less person was team seven's sensei, Hatake Kakashi. His mother having died at a young age, Kakashi had been raised by his father, the White Fang of Konoha. All was fine until a single failed mission completely changed his life, and ended his father's.

His father had not fallen on the mission, rather he had committed suicide after purposely failing the mission in order to save his comrades. The shame of that failed mission had eventually driven his father to the ledge, and proceeded to push him off, leaving him without family. From that day forth he had sworn to follow the ninja code precisely, but that hadn't turned out as planned.

Both his teammates had died on a mission, sacrificing themselves for Konoha and, more importantly, the team. Following this event Kakashi had taken on himself some of Obito's beliefs, placing teamwork and trust before everything else, it had become his ninja way, the path he walked to honor the memories of those who had sacrificed themselves for others.

And now he had spit on it, dragged it through the mud and discarded it, for one, single reason.

He was scared.

Hatake Kakashi, the Copy Ninja, son of the White Fang, had been terrified. Not of his opponents, but of his student, and what that student contained.

The power of the Kyuubi no Kitsune, the strongest biju in existence and quite possible the strongest being on the planet, had been leaking from the seal his Sensei, the fourth Hokage, had placed on his student. As much as he hated to admit it, he had panicked, something no Jonin worth the effort to destroy their corpse should ever do.

He acted on fear, allowed emotion to cloud his judgment, broke the shinobi rules, and destroyed his sensei's legacy in one instant, with a single decision of a scared mind. His sensei, his father figure, entrusted him with Naruto's wellbeing before the child was even born, just incase he suddenly died-something common in the shinobi world- and had wanted Kakashi to be the brother, or the uncle, or anything for the young boy. And he had failed, horribly. He wasn't their for Naruto's childhood and when he was there as his teacher he abandoned him, left him to die.

Oh, how he wished he could take it back! How he wished he had trusted more in his sensei's sealwork and Naruto's ability to control himself while using the fox's power. But there was nothing he could do now, no way to change the sands of time that had already been swept away in the current of existence, never to be touched again.

He had hoped that he might be able to put himself back into Naruto's life, show the boy- no, man, that he really did care, that he regretted his actions with his very being. But that would not work, Naruto himself wouldn't allow it. And, truthfully, Kakashi wouldn't have in his place either. After all, what fool allows the one who betrayed them to come closer once more?

His student- though he was unworthy of claiming such- was definitely no fool.

So no matter how much he might want to, there was one thing Kakashi would never be able to do, the one thing he now hoped to accomplish before his death, even if it required that death;

Repent.

* * *

Mournfully staring at the soon to depart ship, Koyuki thought that there was never a better time for spontaneous combustion. It seemed as she had just got him, her pillar of strength, and he was already leaving, back to the village that didn't deserve him.

She wanted nothing more than for him to stay with her, or, if possible, go with him. Sadly, neither of these options were available to her. He needed to go back to the village, the place he swore to serve no matter what, and she had to stay here, her duty to her people, her father, and now her lover keeping her here to oversee the country.

He had entrusted the droid factories to her, the source of his future armies, armies that would be used to defend both Yuki and Konoha. Such trust was endearing, make no mistake, but she would rather just have him. He had promised to visit, something she would hold him to, but the wait between would drive her crazy. Luckily, while he couldn't be there with her, he had given her a small device that she could use to contact him at any time, and he had mentioned something about almost being finished with an extremely fast method of travel which would allow her to see him more.

Her father, the last of her family, died many years ago, leaving her a kingdom and a mountain of responsibility, something she had run away from. Could you fault the young child? No, but that didn't stop her from regretting not returning when she was older. She had fame and money enough to rally a nice sized fore behind her, one that could have freed her country. Botsuraku came, however, and helped her become the ruler she needed to be for her people, and for that she was eternally grateful.

Perhaps this was for the best, so that she didn't simply use him as a crutch, and could continue to grow as a daimyo. It would be hard, of that she had no doubt, but she would pull through, if not for her people, then for her father, if not for her father than for herself, and if not for herself then for the man she loved, her new reason for living, the knight in shining armor that would always be there to treat her like the princess she was.

If not for anything else, she would remain strong for Botsuraku, the one who gave her life purpose once more.

* * *

Alone.

Always alone.

For as long as she could remember she had been alone, there hadn't been anyone who had cared and in turn she cared for no one, closing off her heat from the outside world.

And that had suddenly changed.

With the force of a million trains he had broken into her life without warning, appearing as if he had always been there. He most certainly hadn't, that was for damn sure, but now that he was everything seemed to be just a bit brighter. She wasn't alone anymore, no longer struggling to stay alive in this cruel world. She had an ally, someone to support and look after her.

She had someone who cared, even if it was the slightest amount in the world, and that was all that mattered. Her master would not abandon her, would not forsake her to this vicious world and the monsters which inhabited it. No, he would always be there, ready to pick her up should she fall, to erase any mistakes she might make.

Many thought that Kakuyoku Fubuki didn't have a heart, and they were wrong, she had a heart and was certain that there was only one person in existence worthy of it;

Botsuraku

Her master.

* * *

Wet soil squelched under his feet as he walked sedately, a cold breeze washing over his metal body and bringing with it the sweet smell of spring.

Hm, spring.

The end of a season

The end of a tyrant's rule

The end of his humanity.

He gave a bitter, humorless chuckle. So much had changed in such a small amount of time. Brining his hand up to his face he pressed it into a fist, watching as metal plates effortlessly slid over each other, the strongest known material in existence- on this planet, anyway- and it had been used to reform his body, a broken body.

A body that by all means should have died.

Preserved in a frozen wasteland, cold and blue, his lifeless corpse should have remained there, undisturbed, eternally resting near the body of his killer. That was the way it was supposed to be, this existence of his was a mistake, a blunder of the universe.

Call it luck, if you will, it doesn't matter. He existed, he lived, and he would make use of that, for as long as this world deemed him worthy of this second chance. Soon enough he would be on his way back home-

No.

Not home, it was never a home.

He'd be back in Konoha, the place he had sworn to serve until his last breath.

Would he rather leave and never turn back? Of course, why would he want to return? The only thing keeping him there was that oath, one he wouldn't ever break, no matter what the cost. He didn't break his word, he never made false promise, he had his honor, one of the few things he owned, and probably the most valuable.

A warrior without pride and honor is nothing, merely a man with a weapon. He wasn't a man with a weapon, no, he was a warrior, one that would serve his village, doing whatever's best for it, regardless of the feelings its inhabitants might have.

Had he sworn to serve the Hokage? No. Had he sworn to serve the council? No. Had he sworn to serve the civilians that loathed his entire existence? Oh hell no! He had sworn to serve the village, and serve it he would. He would protect her, his beautiful tree, and he would carefully remove anything that might harm her.

Even if that was the Hokage themself.

He was downfall, the end of his enemies, the end of Konoha's corruption, he was General Botsuraku, and nothing would stop the purifying fire that would sweep through Konoha;

The gods themselves would tremble in terror as he brought Konoha back to the glory she deserved.

He swore it on his humanity.

Whatever might be left.


End file.
